Here are some pictures I took of my young female Fia some years ago.
I hope this can help you when not only stacking your dog, but also trying to get a good picture in the process.
First off let me say I am not a professional photographer, these pictures were taken with a Sony Cyber Shot 5 mega pixel camera.
I did the stacking, my son-in law took the pictures and my nephew called the dog to get her attention. Three people working together will help you to get the best picture.
I started by showing my son in law and nephew some pictures of some correctly stacked dogs in my Urma book. Neither one of them has any experience with, or knowledge of what the finished product should look like. (I shanghaied them into service at a family outing)
I tried to explain how important it was to try to be fairly level with the dog (not shooting down) and also to be positioned directly in the middle of the dog.
Some of the common mistakes (as you will see in my photo examples) are taking the pictures on grass that is too high. Naturally this hides the dogs feet, a freshly cut field works best. You should also try to have a large open field that’s nice and green and without to many background distractions.
The time of day and amount of sun light will also affect your pictures. I find that a little bit of an overcast sky is best. (It was very bright and sunny in my photos).

#1. Start by running your dog around a little to tire them out some and get their tongue hanging out for the pictures. Try walking your dog into a natural stance.

#2. Reach around the front of the dog and gently lift them up off the ground from under the chest a few inches and try to place them down with their front legs as straight and vertical under the shoulder as possible. Look down from the shoulder to see if they are straight. (The photographer can help guide you also)

#3. While holding the dog from under the chest to try and keep the front legs straight, position your foot as a marker for where the dogs inside rear leg (closest to you) should be. Reach over and gently extend the rear outside leg to the point that the hock will be straight and vertical just like the front legs. This can be a bit tricky as all dogs will present themselves differently depending on how far back you pull the leg.
•It’s a good idea to practice in front of a mirror, not only to see if you’re doing it right, but also to see what position your dog looks best in.

#4. Slowly ease away from the dog and hope that they hold the position long enough for a few good pictures, as you can see Fia moved her front legs!

#5. This is the best part…..just when you think you got it the dog will move!!!!
<span style='font-size: 11pt'>Repeat steps 1 through 4 all over again!</span>

#6. If you’re lucky, after about an hour, and 100 pictures later, you wind up with a picture that’s a keeper (forgetting the bright sun light, the long grass and my knobby knees).

I hope this helps, GOOD LUCK!

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Andrew, thank you for the detailed description on how to stack a dog. It's ironic that you are the one who took the time to answer my question because you will be the recipient of the photo. lol.

Why don't you just come up here and critique her in person? It would be sooo much easier for me because she rarely sits still outside. Ike is coming your way and I'm sure you need a place to evacuate to. We're only 9 hours away. lol. j/k

I'll try to get some pictures done today because the yard was mowed yesterday.

Please bear with my stupid questions. This old dog is learning new tricks. lol.

Denise, I'd love to come up however I'll be evacuating to Germany for the Sieger Show in a couple of days!
I figured that if I was ever going to get any pictures of Tosca from you then I should do whatever possible to help you along!
I look forward to seeing how your beautiful girl has developed.

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Super explanation and illustration. I might add a couple of things.... From a photographer's standpoint, one common mistake to avoid is the stacker wearing dark clothing (altho in these we have we "knobby knees"

And maybe the last thing when stacking, is to slightly push horizontally just above the base of the tail. I find it tends to "set" the dog if only for a minute.

With small puppies, I find a whirl or two around in a circle in my arms is the secret for getting a very quick stack shot on a table. The only problem is I get a little dizzy myself...

Karla Calderon

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